“What are you talking about?” Kate felt her cheeks growing hot. She might have decided to take a leave of absence, but she wanted to announce that on her schedule. “I love the studio!”
“You love your father and Kim. You didn’t want to hurt them by striking out on your own. I’ve known that for a long time. So has your dad.”
Kate was speechless. And scared. Her mother had just opened the cage door, and although Kate had started planning her flight to freedom, she didn’t know if she was ready to begin right this minute.
Emily gave her an affectionate squeeze. “You can leave town without feeling guilty, by the way. I checked with Nick, and he’s agreed to hang around and mind the place for a while. Your dad will make sure he’s familiar with everything before we go back to Florida. Fly back with Hugh. Call it a long-overdue vacation.”
“We’re talking about two different things here, Mom. My taking a break from studio photography has nothing to do with going to California.”
“I think combining the two would be brilliant.”
Kate sighed. “Aren’t you forgetting something? Hugh hasn’t asked me to go to California with him.”
“Have you given him the chance?”
“No.” She didn’t want to tell her mother about the humiliating episode in which Hugh had practically ordered her out of his bedroom, but that might be the only way her mother would understand that Hugh wasn’t in the market for a traveling companion.
“Talk with him, Kate. I have.”
“You?” Kate wondered how in the world she’d missed seeing that.
“Well, of course I’ve talked with him. First of all I needed to thank him for saving the day. That gave me a chance to find out a little more about him. Did you know he’s thinking of giving up being a stuntman and going into directing?”
Dazed, Kate shook her head.
“Talk to him,” Emily said. “I’ve figured out that you two had some sort of disagreement, but I think he wants to make amends.”
Or he wants to ask for one more night before he leaves. Whatever Hugh’s motivation, she was beginning to understand her mother’s. Emily had wedding fever. She’d married off one daughter, and now she was ready to start on the second one. Hugh was the last person she’d seen Kate kissing, so he was the logical candidate. He’d also conducted himself like a hero today, and no woman was immune to that.
“We’ll see,” she said to placate her mother. Then she took a deep breath. “Right now, I could use a walk on Gooseberry Beach.”
Emily studied her for a few seconds. “Good idea. Why don’t you ask Hugh if he wants to go?”
“I want to go alone, Mom.”
Her mother sighed. “You’re being difficult.”
Kate laughed and gave her mom another hug. “So what’s new about that?”
“How long will you be?”
“Not long. Give me a half hour. I’ll bet it’ll take at least that long for this party to wind down. And I need—”
“I understand, sweetie. Your sister just got married and I’ve given you permission to be yourself for a change. That’s a lot to digest. Go on. Walk on the beach. Think about what I said.”
“I’m not going to California, but I might get into that freelance thing.”
Her mother nodded. “Good. You’d be terrific. You and Nick are more alike than you think.”
“Maybe, but I can wait until after Kim comes back from her honeymoon. Nick doesn’t have to rearrange his life for me.”
“We’ll see. We can talk about it tomorrow.”
“All right.” After Hugh leaves, she amended silently. Until she knew he was gone, really gone, she wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything. “And do not find Hugh and send him after me, okay?”
“Okay.”
With a quick wave to her mother, Kate took the route she and Kim had scoped out one day when they’d thought about taking wedding pictures on the beach. They’d abandoned the idea as using up too much time, but Kate still thought it would’ve been cool.
If they’d taken pictures on the beach, Gillian wouldn’t have climbed the tree. But she would have found something else to get into, Kate thought with a smile. She was starting to appreciate how much trouble she’d caused as a kid, and how tolerant her parents had been. They still were. Although they would dearly love for her to stay with Kim and run the studio, they were encouraging her to leave.
It was fitting that they’d do something like that. They were the ones who’d taught her that love meant allowing people to be themselves, and that was why she wouldn’t even consider foisting herself off on Hugh. She couldn’t have the relationship she wanted without Hugh changing, and she wouldn’t ask him to do that. No matter how much she ached whenever she thought of never seeing him again, it was the right way to treat the person you loved.
Moonlight and the sound of lapping waves guided her to the beach. Once she reached the sand, she glanced around to make sure the place was deserted. Then she took off her shoes and reached under her skirt to strip off her panty hose. Stuffing them in the toe of one shoe, she started down the beach, her bare feet sinking into the cool sand.
The moon traced a path across the water, and she longed for a camera. But to capture the moonlight on the water, she’d need more than her little thirty-five millimeter. This shot required a tripod and a long exposure. She stood there digging her toes into the sand while she planned how she’d do it.
If she gave up studio photography, she could spend all kinds of time with shots like this. Her savings would take her for six months, longer if she scrimped. Surely in that time she’d be able to sell some pictures. She already had a list of magazines which might be interested.
This was a move she’d been dreaming about for a long time. Once she got past this business with Hugh, she’d appreciate the opportunity more. She’d celebrate her new independence and take a little more pride in her newfound bravery. And she would get over Hugh. She would.
“What I wouldn’t give to be out on the water tonight.”
She closed her eyes. Her mother had sold her out. She turned to watch him come toward her, his shoes and socks in one hand, his tux pants rolled to midcalf. It was a scene right out of a fantasy. Except Hugh had this little problem with long-term relationships. She told her heart to behave.
Her heart refused. Well, she’d find out what he was up to and then let him know she was heading back to Belcourt Castle. “My mother sent you, didn’t she?”
“No. I saw you leave and I followed you.”
“I didn’t hear anyone behind me.”
The moonlight revealed his gentle smile. “I’ve been in enough suspense flicks to know how to sneak around without getting caught.”
“Is there anything you don’t know how to do?”
“Yes, and you know exactly what that is.”
Oh, God. He was going to apologize for not being the right man for her. She couldn’t bear it. “Look, I’ve accepted the way things are. I even know why, or at least I know enough to have some understanding of the situation. You owe me nothing, not even an explanation. We can part friends, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
He gazed out at the moonlight shimmering on the water. “I have no business being here.”
That confused her. “Why not?”
“Never mind.” He turned and started back the way he’d come.
“Hugh, what do you mean?”
He swung around and looked at her. “I’ve let it go to my head—what happened with Gillian, your mom being so nice to me, Harry saying I could do it.”
Her heart beat faster. “Do what?”
“Change. Open up. Maybe someday be the kind of man—oh, forget it.” He turned away and trudged through the sand.
“No!” She ran after him, sending sand flying in her wake. “I won’t forget it.” Catching up with him, she grabbed his arm. “Finish that sentence about what kind of man you might be someday.”
He gazed down at her. “What if I
can’t? I won’t ask you to be part of some grand experiment. That’s not fair.”
“Then don’t ask me.” She tried to get her breath. “I’ll just volunteer.”
“Kate, I can’t let you do that. You’re so talented, so full of life, so perfect for some guy without my problems.”
She gazed at him, her throat tight. He might not know it, but he’d just told her that he loved her. And because he did, he would sacrifice his own happiness to guarantee hers. She’d been willing to do the same for him.
She swallowed. “We’re a pair, you know that? I decided tonight that I couldn’t ask you to change to fit my needs, and you’ve just decided not to ask me to take a chance on you, because you might screw up. Do you know why we’re both acting so noble?”
He looked down at her, his expression tender. “I know why I am.”
Moisture gathered in her eyes and her voice grew husky. “I know why I am, too.”
He took a shaky breath. “I love you, Kate. But the thing is, I’ve never loved a woman before, so I’m afraid I might really be lousy at it.”
“That’s okay.” She tossed her shoes to the sand. “Because I’m sure that I’ll be really good at it.”
“I know. And that’s why you need to find someone else to—”
“Put down the damned shoes, Hugh.”
He dropped them with a soft thud into the sand beside him.
She came in close and ran both hands up the pleats of his white tux shirt. It wasn’t very white anymore after his bout with the oak tree. “I love you. You are my hero.”
He spanned her waist with his hands in a gesture that could lead to an embrace or not, depending on whether he drew her closer or set her away from him. “I’m not a he—”
“You most certainly are.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight. “Please take me with you to California tomorrow morning.”
His jaw dropped. “Take you? So quick? Don’t you need to think about it? Plan? Consider?”
“That wouldn’t be any fun.” Adrenaline pumped through her. So this was what being a risk-taker was like. She’d thought being chronically late added excitement to her life. She’d been settling for chump change. “And it sure wouldn’t be very dramatic.”
“It’s insane. You have your life here. I know you were thinking of making a change, but you should work up to it.”
Yesterday he might have talked her out of this decision. But today she was a different person. “Slow and steady’s not my style, and it’s not yours, either. Bold moves are what keep us alive. You won’t have to worry about supporting me or anything. I have savings. But I’m ready to see new country, meet new people, test my talent.”
He hesitated. “And what about us?”
“Hugh, I told you. I love you. That means you can take your time deciding how you feel about us. I thought there was no chance that we’d ever be together, but if you think there’s any, even a small one, then I’m willing to give it a shot. And I can relocate to California much easier than you can move to Rhode Island.”
With a deep sigh, he pulled her in close and gave her a long, soul-shattering kiss. At last he lifted his head to gaze down at her. “I don’t need any time to decide how I feel about us. You like bold moves? How about this? Marry me.”
A rushing sound filled her ears. “M-marry you?”
He groaned. “No, you don’t have to. Forget I said that. We can hang out for a while and you can think about it. We don’t—”
“Yes.” She clutched him for support because her knees were suddenly like rubber.
“Yes?”
“YES!” It was all coming true—the whirlwind courtship, the dramatic proposal in the moonlight by the most amazing hero she could ever imagine.
He blinked. “You said yes.”
“Uh-huh.”
His grin flashed. “You said yes!”
She grinned back. “I did.”
“Hallelujah!” He picked her up and swung her around until she was dizzy.
“Amen, brother,” came a voice from the darkness, followed by a soft chuckle.
Hugh set Kate down and turned. “Harry?”
Smiling broadly, Harry walked toward them with his shoes still on. “May I be the first to congratulate you?”
“You’re gonna get lots of sand in your shoes,” Hugh said.
“Small matter when my brother’s getting married.”
“How long have you been there?” Kate asked.
“Not long, but long enough.” He clapped Hugh on the shoulder. “Need a best man? I come highly recommended.”
Kate watched as the two brothers gazed at each other. Tears filled her eyes as they embraced. Then they ended the gesture with a laugh, as if they were a little embarrassed at being so sentimental.
Harry gave her a brotherly hug. “Thanks for taking a chance on this lug. Now, do you want me to tell everybody to go on back without you? It’s a nice night for a walk.”
Hugh slipped his arm around Kate’s waist. “Yeah, tell them that. You can also tell them that we’ll see everybody at breakfast. And don’t spread the news yet, okay? I want to do this right. Tomorrow morning I’ll ask Kate’s dad for her hand in marriage.”
Harry nodded. “Nice. Very traditional. I’m sure he’ll be impressed. Of course, you could try to impress him even more by coming back with us instead of staying out all night with his daughter.”
Hugh pulled Kate closer. “I’m not that interested in impressing him.”
Harry laughed. “Didn’t think so. See you two in the morning.”
As Kate watched him walk away, she said softly, “Hugh, do you think that maybe Harry and Andrea—”
“I’m way ahead of you. Guess who’s taking Harry to the airport tomorrow?”
“You’re each matchmaking for the other one!”
“Looks like it. And that’s really all the time I have for talking about Harry right now. I have something much more important on my mind. There’s an interesting little area over there, sort of private looking.”
She gazed up at him. “I hate to tell you this, but I didn’t bring any—”
“Oh, but I did.”
She laughed in surprised delight as he pulled a condom out of his pocket, no doubt the one she’d left at the cottage. “You planned this rendezvous?”
“Nope. But I lived in hope.”
“That we’d make love one more time before you left?”
“No.” He gathered her close, and his lips brushed hers. “That you’d let me love you for the rest of our lives.”
ISBN: 978-1-4268-6121-5
DOUBLE EXPOSURE
Copyright © 2002 by Harlequin Books S.A.
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